Interface and Method for Exploring a Collection of Data

1. An electronic interface being displayed on a display device to permit a user to explore a collection of data, the collection including multiple records and multiple directional references between the records, the electronic interface comprising: a display region visualizing a first plurality of records of multiple records by having a first plurality of visual indicia positioned in a nodal arrangement being displayed on the display region, each visual indicia of the first plurality of visual indicia being related to and representing a record of the first plurality of records, each record of the first plurality of records having at least one of the following: a directional reference of a first direction to another record of the multiple of records and a directional reference of a second direction to another record of the multiple records, the second direction being different from the first direction; a first control element assigned to a first visual indicia of the first plurality of visual indicia and being responsive to a user of the electronic interface, the first visual indicia being related to and representing a first record of the first plurality of records so that when the first control element operates a second plurality of visual indicia insert into the nodal arrangement and display on the display region in close vicinity to the first visual indicia, the second plurality of visual indicia being related to and representing a second plurality of records of the multiple records, each record of the second plurality of records having a directional reference of the first direction to the first record; and a second control element assigned to a second visual indicia of the second plurality of visual indicia and being responsive to a user of the electronic interface, the second visual indicia being related to and representing a second record of the second plurality of records so that when the second control element operates a third plurality of visual indicia insert into the nodal arrangement and display on the display region in close vicinity to the second visual indicia, the third plurality of visual indicia being related to and representing a third plurality of records of the multiple records, each record of the third plurality of records having a directional reference of the second direction to the second record, and a third visual indicia of the third plurality of visual indicia being related to and representing a third record of the third plurality of records, the third record being the first record and the third visual indicia being displayed spaced apart from the first visual indicia.

2. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and the second control element are each respectively displayed on the display region.

3. An electronic interface as defined in claim 2 , wherein the first and the second control element each are operable by a user responsive to a user clicking at the respective control element with the help of a computer mouse.

4. An electronic interface as defined in claim 2 , wherein the first and the second control element each are permanently displayed on the display region.

5. An electronic interface as defined in claim 2 , wherein the first control element is displayed in close vicinity to the first visual indicia on the display region.

6. An electronic interface as defined in claim 2 , wherein the second control element is displayed in close vicinity of the second visual indicia on the display region when the first control element operates responsive to the user.

7. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein the nodal arrangement includes a visualization of directional references between the records related to and represented by the first, the second and the third plurality of visual indicia when the first and the second control element operate responsive to a user.

8. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein after the user has operated the first and the second control element, and the user operates the second control element a second time, the third plurality of visual indicia is removed from the nodal arrangement being displayed on the display region to the effect that the third plurality of visual indicia is no longer displayed on the display region.

9. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein, after the user has operated the first and the second control element, and the user operates the first control element a second time, the second and the third plurality of visual indicia are removed from the nodal arrangement being displayed on the display region to the effect that the second and the third plurality of visual indicia are no longer displayed on the display region.

10. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein the nodal arrangement is displayed as follows when the first and the second control element operate responsive to a user: each visual indicia of the first, second and third plurality of indicia including a label to indicate a content of each record related to and represented by each such visual indicia; the visual indicia of the first, second and third plurality of indicia being arranged with respect to each other so that the second plurality of visual indicia is displayed on the display region below the first visual indicia and being offset therefrom and the third plurality of visual indicia is displayed on the display region above the second visual indicia and being offset therefrom.

11. An electronic interface as defined in claim 10 , wherein references are made in the nodal arrangement displayed on the display region between the first visual indicia and the second plurality of visual indicia and between the second visual indicia and the third plurality of visual indicia by displaying one or more of the following: dotted and solid connecting indicia.

12. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein each record of the first, second and third plurality of records include one or more of the following: a database record of a plurality of database records, an identifier of a database record of a plurality of identifiers of database records, a data file of a plurality of data files, a name of a data file of a plurality of names of data files, an identifier of a data file of a plurality of identifiers of data files, a reference to a data file of a plurality of references to data files, a binary large object of a plurality of binary large objects, a name of a binary large object of a plurality of names of binary large objects, an identifier of a binary large object of a plurality of identifiers of binary large objects, a reference to a binary large object of a plurality of references to binary large objects, a website of a plurality of websites, and a reference to a website of a plurality of references to one or more websites.

13. An electronic interface as defined in claim 12 , wherein the electronic interface includes a display region visualizing at least partially the content of one or more of the following: a database record of the plurality of database records, a data file of the plurality of data files, a binary large object of the plurality of binary large objects, and a website of the plurality of one or more websites.

14. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one record of the first, second and third plurality of records includes one or more of the following: a database query of a plurality of database queries, a name of a database query of a plurality of names of database queries, an identifier of a database query of a plurality of identifiers of database queries, and a reference to a database query of a plurality of references to database queries.

15. An electronic interface as defined in claim 14 , wherein the interface includes a display region visualizing at least partially the query result of a database query of said database queries.

16. An electronic interface as defined in claim 1 , wherein the visual indicia representing the same record are highlighted, indicating that all occurrences of such visual indicia are related to and representing the same record.

17. A computer implemented method for generating an application user interface window used by an executing application program on a computer permitting a user to explore a collection of data including multiple records and multiple directional references between records, the interface window comprising: generating a display in a display region to visualize a plurality of records of a collection and directional references of the plurality of records by positioning visual indicia in a nodal arrangement, each visual indicia being related to and representing a record; operating one or more control elements being assigned to the visual indicia responsive to a user of the interface window, the one or more control elements being associated to one of the directions of the directional references between the records so that: when a control element assigned to a first visual indicia is operated, a first plurality of visual indicia is inserted into the nodal arrangement and arranged in close vicinity to the first visual indicia, the first plurality of visual indicia representing records having a directional reference of a first direction to the record related to the first visual indicia; when a second control element assigned to a second visual indicia of the newly inserted first plurality of visual indicia is operated, the second control element is associated to a second direction different from the first direction of references, a second plurality of visual indicia is inserted into the nodal arrangement and arranged in close vicinity to the second visual indicia, and a third visual indicia of the second plurality of visual indicia represents the same record which is represented by first visual indicia, the third visual indicia being displayed spaced apart from the first visual indicia.

18. An electronic interface as defined in claim 17 , wherein the one or more control elements each are displayed in the display region.

19. An electronic interface as defined in claim 18 , wherein the one or more control elements each are operated by clicking at the element with use of a computer mouse.

20. An electronic interface as defined in claim 18 , wherein the one or more control elements are permanently displayed in the display region.

21. A method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the nodal arrangement of the visual indicia is displayed as follows: the visual indicia representing the records of the collection of data are displayed as rectangular boxes, the boxes being labeled to indicate to a user of the interface an identity of a related record; the visual indicia are arranged with respect to each other so that visual indicia representing a first record that has incoming references from a second record will be placed below the visual indicia representing the second record and being offset therefrom; and visual indicia representing a third record that has outgoing references to a fourth record will be placed above the visual indicia representing the fourth record and being offset therefrom.

22. A method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the nodal arrangement includes a visualization of directional references between the records represented by the visual indicia.

23. A method as defined in claim 17 , wherein multiple spaced-apart visual indicia representing the same record are marked, indicating that all occurrences are representing the same record.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a computer system to perform at least one of the methods of claim 1 to 23 .